Staying positive and happy can be challenging sometimes because negative things happen to the best of us. Negative circumstances, people and things can make our life a living hell and it’s something that is hard to avoid. However, learning how to stay positive is the only way to counteract this negativity.
While every day has something positive, on some days we have to look a little bit harder to find it. Sure, there are a lot of people who consider themselves an optimist and embrace a glass-half-full lifestyle. But recent research reveals that whether you are an optimist or pessimist, when things get tough, both tend to assume the worst.
But you don’t have to let negativity, bad news or toxic people ruin your day and life. You always have a choice about where you focus your attention and how you choose to respond to any given situation. Choosing to stay positive whenever possible will always make things easier and helps us to fight off stress and anxiety, which helps us deal with the hard stuff.
Here are our TOP 10 tips to stay positive, even when life throws us a curveball.
#1 Learn to Reframe Negativity
Staying positive doesn’t mean that we avoid pessimism altogether and never have a negative thought again. This wouldn’t be a very realistic way of life. But learning to reframe negativity is about how quickly you can redirect your focus from something negative to something positive. While we all see problems that need to be solved, if you stay in a positive mindset you reframe the problem into an exciting challenge to find solutions. Negativity happens, it’s a fact of life, but positivity is a choice and if you can learn to quickly reframe negativity into positivity, you can spend a lot more time in a positive space.
#2 Cultivate a Positive Environment
Who you spend your time with and what you feed your mind with has a huge impact on whether you have a positive or negative outlook on life. In order to be able to stay positive, it is essential to cultivate and live in a positive environment with influences that lift you up and support you rather than drag you down. Consider carefully what you let into your mind. Eliminate negative people and get rid of negative sources of information. Identify the most positive people and sources of information in your life and spend more time with them.
#3 Exercise
We all know about the positive effects that exercise has on our bodies, but besides that, exercise can make us happier, more confident and less stressed. Working out releases a plethora of feel-good hormones into our system from endorphins to dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine, all of which have a hugely positive impact on our mental and emotional well-being. If you want to stay positive, get out there and get moving. Exercise is one of the best ways to fight off negative thoughts or bad situations and you do something good for your body at the same time.
#4 Add Positivity to Someone Else’s Life
It’s a rule of life. What you send out, you get back. Well, not from everybody and not all the time, but how you treat other people and what you give to them, you will get back. Make it a point to spread positivity and add value to someone else. Lend a helping hand when your friend is moving, listen to friend who had a tough day and boost someone else’s mood by giving hugs, encouragement and smiles.
#5 Start Your Day in a Positive Way
However we start our day usually sets the tone for the rest of the day. So make sure that you create an empowering, uplifting morning routine, rather than getting going at full speed, lost in the stress and troubles of your life. Give yourself time in the morning, read an inspiring book, listen to an empowering podcast, meditate, work out, have a healthy breakfast, talk to your family or friends and give yourself enough time to get to work on time without having to stress out about being late. If you can make your morning positive, your whole day will be positive.
#6 Be Grateful for What You Have
One of the simplest and quickest ways to get a boost of positivity in life is to tap into gratitude. What are three things you are grateful for today? Who are the three people in your life that you are grateful for? And what are the three things you are grateful for about yourself? You don’t have to spend a lot of time on gratitude. A few minutes in the morning or right before you go to bed can have a powerful impact on your life and will turn negativity into positivity in an instant.
#7 Focus on Solutions
As we’ve mentioned, negative things and situations will occur in life, there is no way to avoid those. But whatever happens next is your choice. If you focus on the problem and do nothing about it, your situation won’t get better. Instead of wallowing in the negative, find the possibilities that are in that situation. Ask yourself: ‘What is one small step I can take right now to turn this around?’ And then take this small step forward. It doesn’t matter how big or small as long as you take action. Once you are moving forward to a solution, you create the momentum to get away from the problem and reach the solution.
#8 Reduce Worries
Getting into the habit of worrying is destructive and can take over our life and it can be one of the biggest obstacles to positivity and moving forward in life. Whenever you start worrying, ask yourself if your worries are actually going to become reality. More often than not, we worry about things that won’t ever happen because they are just monsters of our mind. Do a reality check, calm yourself down and realize that you are just building an imaginary nightmare.
#9 Find Time to Laugh
Laughter is one of the best stress relievers and if you want to feel positive, lighthearted and ecstatic, laugh out lout without any reservations. Make it a point to develop the habit of laughing every single day, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Record funny experiences you have so you can re-watch them over and over again, watch a funny YouTube video of bloopers or simply imagine a funny situation. Laugh as often as you can and staying positive will become second nature to you.
#10 Don’t Give a Damn
We’re not suggesting that you should stop caring about people or events in your life. What we mean here is that you should stop worrying about what other people may think about you. So what if someone gets mad about a decision you make or someone doesn’t like your awesome idea or someone else doesn’t like the way you talk. As long as you stay true to yourself and act with a clean conscience in a responsible, ethical manner, another person’s perception of you being stupid or wrong doesn’t matter.
It is very common to be struck by a bout of pessimism or to naturally move towards the negative. However, it is possible to turn things around and create a more positive perspective and optimistic outlook if you choose to practice positivity on a daily basis. Remember, negativity creates walls and ceilings and positivity opens up opportunities.
CHOOSE WHERE YOU FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION AND SEE THE POSITIVE
Joschi & Monika
#BoldNaked